2018 Vancouver > Fairbanks

Mesmerising frontiers

This journey through the heart of Alaska reveals a land with a rugged but undeniable charm, one that has not yet relinquished all of its mysteries.

There are still spots in Alaska’s vast wilderness that no one has set foot upon, and in travelling to this wondrous frontier land, you’ll be among the privileged few. This itinerary will treat you to places of pristine wilderness and exquisite beauty, from Denali National Park, with its snowy mountains and sweeping vistas, to the majestic College Fjord in Prince William Sound. Combine that with the mighty Rocky Mountains and you’re likely to be crossing a few personal, as well as geographic, frontiers.

26 Day Itinerary

Day 1 -
Vancouver

Highlights:

Welcome Dinner

Welcome to Vancouver. Your journey of wonder begins with an exclusive two night stay at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. Your luxury hotel is perfectly situated in the heart of downtown Vancouver, with culture, restaurants and world-class shopping right at your doorstep, plus you can take advantage of the added bonus of the Scenic office downstairs, with our staff ready to welcome you and assist with anything you may require. Celebrate tonight with a welcome dinner and toast to the wonderful adventure awaiting you and your fellow travellers. Please book your flight to arrive prior 5pm.

Meals included: Dinner

Day 2 -
Vancouver

Highlights:

Enrich - Capilano Suspension Bridge

Enrich

The best time to be at one with nature is before the crowds arrive. Absorb the tranquillity as you are the first to wander amongst the glistening morning dew of the rainforest, with exclusive early entrance Capilano Suspension Bridge Park.

This afternoon, discover the many and varied sights, tastes and sounds of cosmopolitan Vancouver on a city sightseeing tour.

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 3 -
Rocky Mountaineer > Kamloops

Highlights:

Rocky Mountaineer GoldLeaf Service

All aboard! The Rocky Mountaineer is one of the most iconic rail journeys in the world, and you’ll enjoy two days of romantic rail travel through the Rocky Mountains with incredible GoldLeaf Service, sure to be an absolute highlight of your trip. Rocky Mountaineer is renowned for the delicious cuisine made for you on board, so you can enjoy the ultimate treat for the senses as you travel through the Rocky Mountains in luxurious comfort, gazing in awe at your surrounds through the dome glass windows and savouring delectable delights in the company of your newfound friends. Overnight, stay at a Kamloops hotel as assigned by Rocky Mountaineer.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 4 -
Rocky Mountaineer > Lake Louise

Highlights:

Rocky Mountaineer GoldLeaf Service

Revel in another day of luxury on board the Rocky Mountaineer. Feel your awe and excitement peak as you carve through otherwise inaccessible terrain into the Canadian Rockies. You don’t have to be an engineer to delight in the ingenious construction of the spiral tunnels you’ll venture through today. Sip on local BC wines and beers as you soak up the magnificent scenery stretching as far as the eye can see. Later, you’ll be delivered to the spectacular natural wonder of Lake Louise and the opulent Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, where your Special Stay for the next two nights is in a stunning lakeview room.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 5 -
Lake Louise

Highlights:

Enrich - Meet a Canadian Mountie, Freechoice Dining

Set a sunrise wake-up call for a special treat to catch the first glimpse of the stunning colour changes painted across the mountain, lake and glacier outside your window.

Enrich

Meet a wearer of the famous red serge, a Canadian Mountie. Be thrilled by entertaining stories of the trade, and be sure to take a memorable photo.

FreechoiceDining

Choose between fine or more casual dining this evening.

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 6 -
Lake Louise > Banff

Highlights:

Freechoice Dining

Small town charm nestled in stunning mountain scenery greets you in Banff. Ride the Banff Gondola to experience jaw-dropping views.
Settle into your iconic Special Stay for two nights at the Fairmont Banff Springs in a view room, and relish the unique blend of opulence and isolation. Few hotels in the world can rival the majesty, hospitality and scenery of Canada’s iconic ‘Castle in the Rockies’.

FreechoiceDining

Choose between a selection of cuisines this evening.

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 7 -
Banff

Highlights:

Scenic Freechoice, Enrich - Rocky Mountain Round Up

Freechoice

Take a helicopter flight over the Three Sisters Peaks, a Bow River float trip, rejuvenate in relaxing mineral pools or play nine holes of golf. Nature lovers may be enticed to take a guided nature walk or head into the mountains by wagon for a cowboy cookout lunch.

Enrich

Tonight be treated to an exclusive ‘Rocky Mountain Round Up’ of superb food, entertainment and hospitality. Don your Stetson hat and cowboy boots, kick up your heels and make the most of a rollicking evening.

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 8 -
Icefields Parkway > Jasper

Highlights:

Ice Explorer, Freechoice Dining

Drive along one of the most famous roads in the world, the Icefields Parkway. Take an ‘Ice Explorer’ on to the Athabasca Glacier and walk the Glacier Skywalk to truly appreciate nature’s beauty. Settle in for a two night stay at the picturesque Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, situated on the banks of Lac Beauvert. Be sure to keep an eye out for wildlife such as bears, elk or caribou.

FreechoiceDining

Dine at a restaurant of your choice.

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 9 -
Jasper

Highlights:

Scenic Freechoice

Freechoice

Choose your level of adventure in the ultimate outdoor playground. Don your leathers and hit the open road on a Harley Davidson™ sidecar tour, or get amongst nature on a guided hike. You may prefer an aquatic adventure on an interpretive cruise, in a voyageur canoe or rafting down the Athabasca River. Alternatively, take a scenic drive around Jaspers’ stunning lakes, or rise above it all and take in the magnificent views on the Jasper Skytram.

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 10 -
Jasper > Sun Peaks

Highlights:

Enrich - Voyageur Presentation

Arrive into the quaint village of Sun Peaks, and sleep this evening at the Sun Peaks Grand Hotel.

Enrich

Discover how life was lived by the voyageurs, pioneers, fur traders and early settlers centuries ago as they battled to establish settlements along Canada’s trading route during an exclusive presentation at your hotel.

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 11 -
Sun Peaks > Whistler

Highlights:

Enrich - Black Bear Presentation, Freechoice Dining

Continue to the charming alpine village of Whistler.

Enrich

Expert researcher Michael Allen will present exclusive insights into the life of the fascinating black bear. You’ll be charmed and entertained by the stories of the interactions and intricate social lives of Canada’s famous furry residents.

FreechoiceDining

Choose between some of the finest restaurants in Whistler.

Settle in for a two night Special Stay at the exclusive Fairmont Chateau Whistler, nestled at the base of Blackcomb Mountain.

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 12 -
Whistler

Highlights:

Scenic Freechoice

Freechoice

Soar above Whistler on a helicopter flight, zipline or Peak 2 Peak Gondola. Alternatively take a mountain adventure tour, a jet boat ride, a cycle tour or discover local flavours on a progressive lunch in Whistler Village.

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 13 -
Whistler > Victoria

Highlights:

Shannon Falls

Cross the Georgia Strait by ferry. Enjoy an exclusive two night Special Stay at the regally inspired Fairmont Empress.

Meander through the beautiful and aromatic Butchart Gardens, a real treat for the senses. Jennie Butchart set out to create beauty out of an abandoned quarry over a century ago and the gardens have been lovingly developed into the floral masterpiece you see today. If you rub Tacca, the Florentine bronze boar’s nose, it is said to bring you lots of luck.

Freechoice

This afternoon can be as active or relaxed as you please. Choose from a range of adventures on land, sea or sky.

Tonight, join your Tour Director and fellow adventurers for a celebratory dinner as you farewell Canada and prepare for the next part of your journey – exploring the last frontier.

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 15 -
Alaskan Cruise

Highlights:

Princess Cruise Line

Join your Tour Director for a luxurious seven night voyage on board Golden PrincessSM, Star PrincessSM or Coral PrincessSM in your verandah stateroom. Each evening, sit back and unwind with included drinks with dinner.

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 16 -
Scenic Cruising

Highlights:

‘Welcome to the Seas’ lunch

Join your fellow voyagers at a ‘Welcome to the Seas’ lunch, then settle back and relax with a book or explore the ship’s facilities, restaurants and lounges.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 17 -
Ketchikan

Highlights:

Salmon capital of the world

Explore Alaska’s first city, now known as the ‘salmon capital of the world’.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 18 -
Juneau

Highlights:

Alaska’s remote capital

Alaska’s state capital is only accessible by air or sea. Explore the town at your leisure knowing that you’ll never get lost.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 19 -
Skagway

Highlights:

Klondike gold rush heritage

Welcome to Skagway, the gateway of the Klondike.Take a stroll into the past as you amble past Skagway’s historic shop facades and wooden boardwalks with their echoes of the gold rush era. Discover the remnants of its gold rush roots when prospectors came in droves to try their luck during the Klondike gold rush. For those who struck it lucky, the saloons of Skagway proved a popular way to ‘invest’ their fortunes back into the town.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 20 -
Glacier Bay

Highlights:

Glacier and wildlife viewing

A steaming cup of soup or even hot chocolate will keep you warm as you are mesmerised by the dramatic ice walls and iceberg-strewn waters of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Glacier Bay has more actively calving glaciers than anywhere in the world. Hold your breath as a monumental chunk of ice splits off a glacier and thunders into the sea, and capture the impact shooting water hundreds of feet in the air. Then, wait for it to happen all over again. A National Park Service Ranger will interpret the natural wonders and wildlife you may see.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 21 -
College Fjord

Highlights:

Prince William Sound

Within Prince William Sound lies College Fjord and its collection of awe-inspiring glaciers, some of which are 40 storeys high and tower over even the largest cruise ship. Hear how the magnificent glaciers were named after elite East Coast USA colleges by professors on their discovery expedition – but don’t hold your breath searching for Princeton, which was curiously overlooked. Celebrate the end of your cruise with a toast at your farewell reception.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 22 -
Anchorage > Talkeetna

Highlights:

Enrich - Wildlife Conservation Park

Enrich

Visit Alaska’s Wildlife Conservation Centre, a sanctuary dedicated to preserving Alaska’s precious and unique wildlife. Meet the residents, displaced animals that have been rescued including musk ox, lynx, reindeer, and even wood bison, once thought to be extinct but which now roam free in Alaska.

Enjoy a thrilling jet boat ride through the heart of Alaska’s remote wilderness, along previously inaccessible waterways on your way to your overnight Special Stay at Mt McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge. If you’re lucky, you may see nesting bald eagles and beaver activity along the way. Once you arrive at your wilderness retreat for the evening, be sure to check out ‘The Great Room’, a cosy and inviting room featuring enormous floor-to-ceiling windows looking out on spectacular views of Denali and the Alaska Range. Denali, meaning the ‘The Great One’, is North America’s highest mountain peak, measuring 6,190 metres above sea level, and is the centrepiece of Denali National Park and Preserve.

Optional Flight - Optional flightseeing over Denali, with glacier landing (additional expense, subject to seasonal operation. Replaces jet boat ride). View glacier filled valleys, rugged peaks and towering mountains of the Alaska Range. Learn the history and geology of the area as you immerse yourself in this beautiful wilderness.

Visit Joanne Porterfield’s homestead and catch a glimpse of a family’s settlement into one of the region’s isolated communities. Attracted by the lure of adventure and free land offered in the 1960’s, the Porterfield’s and their young family became modern day pioneers of Trapper Creek. See the homestead they built, with the garden and livestock area and be enthralled as you hear stories of living off this remote land, trapping, mining for gold, farming, hunting and home schooling their children. You will be charmed and amazed as you are presented with the true frontier spirit of this remarkable family.

Journey on the ‘Midnight Sun Express’ train along the banks of the Susitna River, passing over rushing rivers and through vast valleys, and relish in the opportunity to view Denali from the glass dome carriage. Arrive into Denali National Park, an impressive six million acres of unspoiled wilderness, home to wild and beautiful scenery along with a stunning array of wildlife including moose, caribou, dall sheep, grizzly bears, gray wolves and red foxes. Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge, with its expansive deck overlooking the Nenana River with views into the park, welcomes you for a two night Special Stay.

Enrich

Kick back after a fun day and enjoy a rollicking good time as you are treated to the Music of Denali Dinner theatre show. Feast on a hearty family-style dinner while being entertained by this delightful musical comedy relaying the legendary adventures of the first explorers to reach the summit of Denali.

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 24 -
Denali National Park

Highlights:

Scenic Freechoice

Freechoice

You get to choose how to explore Alaska’s rugged wilderness today. You may choose to venture deep into Denali National Park and Preserve by bus to be immersed in the tundra wilderness and hopefully spot some of the diverse wildlife that it homes, or cuddle up to a husky when you visit four time Iditarod Champion Jeff King’s homestead to meet champion sled dogs and learn about this gruelling race. Alternatively, get in amongst nature and explore Alaska’s beautiful landscape by foot on a guided walking tour, or by raft down the Nenana River. Or, if you’re a thrill seeker, you can get behind the wheel of your own ATV on an exhilarating ride through Alaska’s gorgeous backcountry. The choice is yours.

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 25 -
Denali National Park > Fairbanks

Highlights:

Enrich - Discovery III Sternwheeler

Enrich

Cruise into the heart of Alaska on the ‘Discovery III’ Sternwheeler for a unique Alaskan experience. Immerse yourself in frontier living first hand with guided tour of a replica Athabascan Indian village, where you’ll discover the culture and traditions that allowed the Athabascans to survive over 10,000 years, as well as the adaptations within the last century. Watch in amazement as a bush pilot takes off in a floatplane and learn of the vital role planes play in remote Alaska, then delight in a dog mushing demonstration at the home of four-time Iditarod Champion Susan Butcher as you are beguiled by tales of adventures on the dogsled trails.

Visit Santa Claus House at North Pole, Alaska where the spirit of Christmas lives all year. Arrive in Fairbanks, gateway to Alaska’s rugged interior and the land of the midnight sun. Fairbanks was founded by miners consumed with the gold fever that swept Alaska at the turn of the century and you’ll see this quest for gold is still celebrated today. Settle in overnight at Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge.